Day 16 (11.19.13)

Before I get into my day there’s something extremely important that I want to share with all of you. It relates to the fads that come and go. Whether it be particular exercises, equipment, clothing, etc. For a while there was a pretty good sized movement to push runners towards minimal’ist style sneakers. Ya know those weird toe-fingered shoes, as well as some other Vibram models. I wouldn’t waste time talking about this, but in a conversation with an incredibly athletic client of mine, I found out that she was a bit confused because she didn’t know what the proper running stride was.

Why the market and running professionals have pushed you to run in minimalist sneakers? Minimalist sneakers lack the amazing bulky cushioning of lets say an older woman’s new balance. Yes we have all seen what I am describing. The reason they have pushed this is because a thick cushion between you and the ground leaves your body with two pitfalls:

A) You can’t really feel the ground beneath you and have lost touch with what is known as a ground force reaction. This mainly pertains to athletic individuals doing explosive workouts, however anyone who is looking to be agile and get the most from their workout should know how to push off of the ground to propel and catch themselves, before landing.

B) A thick cushioned sneaker weakens our natural bio mechanics because we become dependent on a sneaker for impact absorption rather than core strength, flexibility of muscles and tendons, particularly in the lower leg, and most important the proper alignment for joint health.

Why you don’t need minimalist sneakers? If you were a crazy young kid like I was running around barefoot for more than half of the day everyday, your body knows how to grip the ground, spring into the air and catch yourself from an unexpected fall so that your shins don’t push through you knees and break your legs. Even if you didn’t do this as a kid, it doesn’t mean you can’t do it now. Spend some time around your house barefoot. Do normal chores as usual, but notice how the ground feels, particularly beneath the ball of the foot. This is the bestest friend you will find in a foot. It will help you, use it for balance and power. In yoga, we use the ball of the foot to activate the inner thighs and deep low belly.

Trust yourself. If your running now and you love it, keep doing what you’re doing. Your body is perfect and it knows exactly what it needs. Not everyone should run the same way. We are all different structures trying to have the same great time getting fit.Your stride is your own.

Day 16

I woke in the middle of the night burning up with a sweat. I can’t tell you how good it feels to know that my body is burning fat while I sleep. Also, I had some crazy dream about dating Larry David. People he had three legs. Nuts. We met in a car in a remote neighborhood on the water and apparently we were in a movie together, and just after grabbing some whiskey we were getting in the car to go back to his place. (Wink Wink) and he falls flat on his face and I wake up.

Awesome. I heard another great find of a song today only twenty years late. Dead Man’s Party, Oingo Boingo